By Ben Morgan and FOX23.com News Staff
The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) has announced that it has awarded the University of Oklahoma a $25 million grant to build a new OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center facility in Tulsa.
Dr. Robert Mannel, Director of the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, said the funding will help bring some of the most advanced cancer therapies and clinical research opportunities to the region.
“TSET has been a long-standing and vital partner for the Stephenson Cancer Center. This grant allows us to be an ongoing part of Tulsa’s expansion and to bring the latest, most advanced therapies to this part of the state.”
The facility will feature a floor dedicated to clinical trials, including an investigational drug pharmacy for cataloging and storing new experimental drugs, as well as a pharmacokinetics lab, which studies how a drug moves through the body and is processed over time.
The grant will also support advanced research trials in both medical and radiation oncology.
Mannel said studies consistently show patients enrolled in clinical trials often have better outcomes than those receiving standard treatments.
“Clinical trials are bringing tomorrow’s therapy here today.”
Stephenson Cancer Center currently offers about 300 clinical trials, which gives patients access to new drugs up to five years before wide availability.
The Tulsa Stephenson Cancer Center also plans to offer new cancer therapies, including theranostics, a precision medicine technique that uses targeted radioactive compounds to both detect and treat disease, and CAR T-cell therapy, which re-engineers a patient’s own immune cells to attack cancer more effectively.
TSET leaders said the investment reflects a long-term commitment to improving health outcomes across Oklahoma.
“TSET is always looking for projects that will make a major impact on the health of Oklahomans,” said Thomas Larson, the Director of Public Information and Government Affairs for TSET. “Funding phase one clinical trials at the Stephenson Cancer Center in Tulsa is one of those projects. It will have a dramatic and immeasurable impact on the health of citizens across the state.”
Mannel said Tulsa and northeastern Oklahoma represent about a third of the state’s population, yet fewer than 5% of patients enrolled in national cancer clinical trials come from this region of the United States.
“That gap was clear,” said Mannel. “Having a high-quality presence in Tulsa that can conduct complex phase one through phase three trials will make a huge difference for Oklahomans.”
In addition to patient care, the new center will serve as a training hub for future medical professionals, including physicians and advanced practice providers.
“It’s not just about providing good care. It’s about doing so in an environment of education and research that trains the next generation.”
The new building is expected to open in 2028 and will be approximately 176,000 square feet.
It will be located at the OU Schusterman Campus, located on 41st and Yale.
